Philippine court finds U.S. Marine guilty of killing Filipino transgender

A Philippine lower court sentenced Tuesday an American serviceman of six years to 12 years imprisonment for killing a Filipino transgender last year.

The Olongapo City Regional Trial Court found U.S. Marine Lance Corporal Joseph Scott Pemberton "guilty beyond reasonable doubt" of homicide in the death of 26-year old Jeffrey "Jennifer" Laude in October 2014.

The court did not agree with the prosecution that Pemberton committed murder, which carries a heavier penalty of permanent imprisonment, due to absence of the elements of murder such as treachery and abuse of superior strength.

The sentence against the foreign trooper was also lowered due to two mitigating circumstances,passion and obfuscation, and intoxication.

The court also ordered Pemberton to pay Laude's family civil damages.

During the trial last year, Pemberton admitted of choking Laude unconscious after he discovered that the latter was not a woman when they were about to have sex in a lodge in northern city of Olongapo where their ship was docked.

The court initially ordered Pemberton to be confined in the national penitentiary in Muntinlupa City, Metro Manila pending clarification of the provision of the Philippine-U.S. Visiting Forces Agreement since the American serviceman committed the offense while participating in the joint military exercises.

But later in the day, it allowed the convict to be detained in the Armed Forces of the Philippines' Custodial Center pending the resolution of the motion for clarification filed by Pemberton's lawyer. Endit